Welcome

I was lucky enough to move to Holt Farm in the Yeo Valley 20 years ago when Tim and I married. I was born and brought up in London where I trained as a dancer and I arrived in Somerset with no gardening knowledge.

The garden I inherited at Holt Farm from Roger and Mary, Tim's parents, was lovely - smaller and traditional with wonderful views south to the Mendips. I soon became addicted and expanded the garden, opening the views to Blagdon Lake and creating something personal and contemporary.

For the past 18 years I have had a ball learning on the job. It’s been a steep learning curve; mistakes have been made, rectified and sometimes repeated! A sense of humour has been retained by everyone: it’s been hard work but great fun.

Six and half acres of contemporary organic garden have been created thanks to a team effort. Everything from the cakes and scones through to the potting compost is home made.

The design of the garden is done in-house and is constantly evolving. The energy and enthusiasm of everyone involved gives the garden its unique personality.

It was in the beautiful Yeo Valley that Roger and Mary founded the Yeo Valley dairy business in the early 1970s. The yogurt is still made here and Holt Farm completed its conversion to wholly organic in 2009.

As we have been gardening organically for a number of years, the decision for the garden to follow suit and obtain the Soil Association’s certification in 2010 was a “no brainer”. Our re-named Yeo Valley Organic Garden (YOG) is one of only a handful of organically certified ornamental gardens in the country.